You Are the Story of Your Childhood
by Spun
Summary: "Alec's high-voiced tirade is littered with swear words he probably didn't know at that age. Shrill giggles bubble up in Magnus's throat and he swallows them with considerable effort, folding the inside of his cheek between his molars so he doesn't smile too broadly." A spell gone haywire briefly transforms Alec and Magnus into children.


**You Are the Story of Your Childhood  
**

**Disclaimer: **_The Mortal Instruments _belongs to Cassandra Clare.

**Warnings: **References to child abuse.

**Notes:** I asked for prompts on my tumblr. This was from an anonymous asker, who wanted an expansion of my Snippet where Magnus and Alec are turned into children.

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_Fucking_ sounds all wrong spilling from the lips of a child, but Alec's high-voiced tirade is littered with swear words he probably didn't know at that age. Shrill giggles bubble up in Magnus's throat and he swallows them with considerable effort, folding the inside of his cheek between his molars so he doesn't smile too broadly. Alec is _furious_. Magnus's barely-concealed delight will not help matters.

" - and stop _grinning_!" Alec howls, jabbing his finger at Magnus like he wishes it were a blade. Magnus's lungs almost burst. He claps his tiny hands over his face, but it's too late - peals of laughter explode out of his mouth, sending his terrified kitten squirreling away beneath the cabinet in the corner. Through the film of gleeful tears, he sees Alec snarl and stomp out of the study, the hiss of invectives through his teeth reminding Magnus of a whistling teakettle. Magnus's behind hits the floorboards with a _thump_. Irate boyfriend or no irate boyfriend, this is _hilarious_.

When his hysterical laughter gives way to hiccups, Magnus clambers back to his feet, rubbing the tears from his eyes and looking around curiously. Cotton-candy-pink smoke lingers in the cracks in the ceiling; he waves a hand automatically and it dissipates. So his magic hasn't been affected, nor have his memories - it seems the only change was the abrupt and unexpected shrinkage of his body (and, to Alec's evident relief, clothing). He peers at his small brown hands as he pads into the hallway. It had truly been an accident, an unforeseen speed bump in his spell that resulted in the de-aging, but Alec doesn't seem to be taking it very well. Curious, Magnus warps the air in front of him until it shimmers and fuses into a square mirror. His distinctive eyes are now set in the smooth face of a boy no more than seven or eight years old, the cheekbones and jawline jutting, betraying a childhood of not _quite_ enough food. He purses his lips, sticks his tongue out, and then grins again, flashing tiny baby teeth at his reflection. He's going to have to market this spell. There's no shortage of people who wouldn't pass up a chance to relive their younger days for a few hours.

He finds Alec sulking in the bedroom, face mashed against his pillow, hands locked together over the back of his neck. Magnus leaps onto the mattress and jabs a finger into Alec's ribs. "Quit moping."

Alec blindly flings out a hand and slaps Magnus's arm away. "Seriously," he mumbles, and Magnus leans close so the words aren't lost to the depths of the pillow, "is this going to wear off? I don't know how I'll explain it to my parents if it doesn't."

"Relax, darling," Magnus says, the endearment rolling off his tongue as easily as ever, flopping down next to Alec and cradling his chin in his hands. "It's only a variation - an _accidental_ variation, mind you - on a garden-variety transformation spell. In about an hour we should both experience a very rapid and possibly very painful growth spurt."

"I don't care if it hurts," Alec grumbles, "this is just annoying." He turns his head to face Magnus, still looking extraordinarily put-out, and Magnus has to bite back another round of giggles. Alec had clearly been an adorable kid - the sharpness of _his_ features looked aristocratic, rather than emaciated, and Magnus suspected he could've gotten absolutely anything he wanted just by slapping on a heart-melting smile.

Magnus doesn't resist the impulse to pinch his cheek. Alec curses and kicks him in the shins. "God, you must've been a terrible brat," Magnus laughs, rubbing his leg.

Rolling his eyes, Alec grabs a fistful of Magnus's shirt, opens his mouth to say something ear-burning - but then his irritation visibly withers. "What happened to your -"

Ice crackles along Magnus's spine. He stiffens, still and unbreathing, as Alec's fingers crawl up his back, stumbling over the knotted ropes of scars that rupture the should-be-unbroken plane of Magnus's skin.

The look on Alec's face when realization dawns cracks a spiderweb into Magnus's heart. "Alec," he begins, reaching over - but Alec jerks his hand away like it's been scorched, flips over onto his side, crumples in on himself like a paper doll. His shoulders hitch. "Oh, don't cry," Magnus says, horrified, clambering across the space between them and snuggling against Alec's back. He throws an arm over his waist, notches his knees up beneath Alec's - they've been reduced to about the same age, but Alec has a good two or three inches of height on him right now, and somehow _that's_ the thing about this whole situation that unseats Magnus's nerves. He makes shushing noises and glazes his hand over Alec's hair.

"Sorry," Alec says after a long moment, taking his hands away from his face. His palms are damp where they sank into his eyes. "I just - maybe being a little kid is screwing with my emotions -"

"It's all right," Magnus soothes. He nestles his chin into the curve of Alec's neck, looks down at him through his eyelashes, and adds, "They'll fade. Magic helps. You can't even see them anymore."

Alec's tongue peeks out between his white lips. "I can see them _now_."

"I know." Magnus kisses his jawline, just for the heck of it. Alec swats at him again.

"Cut it out," he says. "We're both _children_."

"Exactly. We're _both_ children. That makes it not-creepy. As long as we don't walk into the kitchen and Chris Hansen doesn't ask us to have a seat over there, we'll be fine."

The reference flies over Alec's head with a _woosh_. Magnus rolls his eyes, smooshes his cheek against Alec's, and they wait for the spell to disintegrate in silence.

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This was supposed to be fluffy, dammit. Please leave a review if you liked this, it will please me. :D


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